Prepayment gas-meter



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. P. GRIFFITHS.

PREPAYMENT GAS METER.

No. 603,079. Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

Illlllli Witnesses.

W W A. WW H Attorney.

(No Model.) I 2z Shets-Sheet 2.

E. P. GRIFFITHS.

PRBPAYMBNT GAS METER..- No. 603,079. Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

Witnesses. I:l 9-

Inventor.

Q I I r.

Attorney.

UNITED STATES- PATENT @rricn.

EBENEZER F. GRIFFITHS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PREPAYMENT GAS-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,079, dated April 26, 1898.

Application filed October 13, 1897.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LEBENEZER F. GRIFFITHS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Prepayment Gas-Meters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to prepayment-movements to be attached to gas-meters.

My invention refers particularly to the mechanism controlling and operating the valve through which the gas is admitted into the meter.

The object of my improvement is to simplify the mechanism controlling the gas-inlet valve and make it more positive and less likely to stick and jam by reason of any carelessness on the part of the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the top of a meter having my improvement thereon, the cover of the meter being removed. Fig. 2 is a lengthwise sectional view through the valvecontrolling mechanism on line a; a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the valve, valve-box, and gas-inlet pipe. Figs. 5 and 6 are detailed views of the cams operating the gas-inlet valve. Fig. 7 shows amodified form of valve and the lever operating same.

A represents the outer casing or body of the meter. A is the gas-inlet pipe, connecting with the street-main, and A the gas-outlet, connecting with the pipes in the house.

15 is the coin-box, attached to the side of the meter near the inlet-pipe and provided with a suitable coin-slot on the top thereof.

13 is the valve box or inclosure, surround ing the valve on all sides and having in the bottom thereof the opening a, through which the gas is admitted from the pipe A, flowing in the direction indicated by the arrows through the short pipe a.

a is a puppet-valve located on the bottom of the valve-box and connected with the gaspipe passing into the meter.

a is the stem of the valve and has thereon two small disks 1 1, located a short distance Serial No. 655,041. (No model.)

apart, so as to form stops for the ends of the forked arm or lever (0*, attached to the cylindrical shaft 0. in the side of the valve-box.

a is a stuffing-box surrounding the shaft a thus preventing the gas escaping into the other parts of the meter.

1), b, b and b are the various levers operated by the vertical shafts b and 12 that connect with the bellows inside of the meter.

b is the vertical crank-shaft, extending to and operating the valves in the gas-meter.

a is a horizontal shaft extending from the vertical crank-shaft b to and operating the usual form of dial mechanism on the front of V the meter.

a is a worm-wheel on the inner end of the shaft 6& and engaging with the worm b on the end of the crank-shaft b.

c is a screw-threadedshaft having one end secured in a suitable bearing formed in the support 0, the opposite end fitting into a cylindrical opening formed in the square shaft cl, that has a suitable bearing in the support 0 V c is a worm-wheel on the screw-threaded shaft 0 and engaging with the worm d on the shaft a (1' is a hollow cylindrical rack, one end of which fits over and slides upon the shaft d, the opposite end being internally screwthreaded to fit over the screw-shaft c.

d is a shaft supported below and at right angles to the hollow cylindrical rack d, and has thereon the spur gear-wheel 01 that engages with the cylindrical rack d.

e is a disk secured on the shaft (1 and having at one point in its circumference a camnotch e and an extended lip or projection c at one side of said notch.

is an oscillating finger having a concave portion f fitting over and riding upon the periphery of the disk 6. The concaved por tion of the finger f is held up to and in sliding contact with the periphery of the disk 6 by reason of the projection f, the outer end of which extends just beyond a line connecting the centers of the shafts upon which the two parts e and f are mounted.

f is the shaft supporting the finger f.

g is a crank fitting on the inner end of the IOO shaft f" and having an extending arm 9, that fits between the forks of the arm or lever 9 on the shaft c that extends into the valve-box and carries the forked arm or lever a that operates the valve a In place of the forked arm a and the valvestem' c the plain arm a and the link a (shown in Fig. 7) may be used, if desired.

The dial upon which is registered the quantity of gas. for which coins have been placed in the coin-box B is located on the outside of the meter, and a hand or pointer secured on the outer end of the shaft (1 passes around and over it.

g is a projection formed on the end of the cylindrical rack d. This projection impinges against a corresponding projection g on the top of the support 9 that carries one end of the shaft f and forms a positive stop for the cylindrical rack when it has been moved the full distance required, thus preventing the rear end of said rack from being jammed up against the spur gear-wheel c on the end of the screxwthreaded shaft 0.

The knob or handle B for starting the mechanism after the coin has been placed in the coin-slot is connected by suitable operating mechanism with the end of the square shaft d in any suitable manner.

WVhen the cylindrical rack 11 is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer end of said rack is up against the inside of the support 0 and the valve a just closed. To open the valve 03, the shaft 61 is turned so as to screw the cylindrical rack up on the screwthreaded shaft 0 toward the support a. This movement of the rack d will turn the spur gear-Wheel (1 moving the shaft 61 turning the disk e, and imparting a quick movement to the finger f, turning the shaft f crank g, and arm g, thus imparting a movement to the forked arm g moving the shaft (0 and forked arm a ,which,operating upon the valvestem c raises the valve a To close the valve a the movement of the several parts is in the opposite direction, which movement is caused by the flow of gas through the meter operating the crank-shaft b, worm b worm-Wheel a and shaft a The cylindrical rack d .being back against the support 0 when the valve a is closed and the stop g impinging against the extension g on the support g when the valve is open, it is impossible to jam the parts or strain the valve-connections, no matter how carelessly the device is operated. That part of the periphery of the disk e that comes in contact with the concave part of the finger f being the arc of a circle, no motion is imparted to the valve mechanism, except when the projecting lip e impinges against the lip f or the rear side of the notch e operates against said lip f.

By the construction of the valve-operating mechanism shown I am enabled to quickly open the valve to the fullest extent and hold it in that position until almost all of the gas paid for has been consumed and the cylindrical rack d has traversed nearly the whole length of the screw 0.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a prepayment gas-meter, the co1nbination of the disk 6, notch c and lip or extension 8 thereon adjacent to said notch, in cunted on a shaft and connected with mechanism for turning, with the oscillating finger f, provided with a concaved bearing-surface f adapted to fit andrest upon the periphery of the disk .2, and a finger or extension f located at one end of said concaved portion, and adapted to enter the notch 6 111 the disk cto instantly close the valve a to which it is suitably connected, as set forth.

2. In a prepayment gas-meter, the combi nation of the disk 6, having a suitable notch c therein, and mounted on a suitable shaft and connected with mechanism for turning; with the oscillating finger f having a bearing- Surface f and a lip or extension f at one end of the said bearingsurface, said finger being secured upon a shaft and connected with means for imparting movement to the valveoperating mechanism, the disk 6 sliding in the bearingsurface f to hold the valve positively open and the lip f entering the notch e to instantly close the said valve, as set forth.

3. In a prepayment gasmeter, the disks,

shaft 01*, spur-wheel d cylindrical rack d, having on the end thereof the stop g in combination with the oscillating finger f, having thereon the extending lip f, support g having thereon the projection 9, against which the pin or projection 9 will impinge, and the shaft f connected with mechanism for opening and closing the valve a substantially as shown and described.

4;. In a prepayment gas-meter, the combination of the disk 6, having thereon the extending lip e, mounted on a shaft and connected with mechanism for turning the same, with the oscillating finger f, having thereon the lip or extension f, the shaft f suitably supported and having on one end thereof the crank g, and arm 9, fitting into the forked arm or lever 9 the shaft a forked lever c and valve a having the extending valvestem c fitting into the arm a, and provided with the stop 1 1, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a prepayment gas-meter the disk e mounted on a shaft and having in the periphery thereof a notch 6 an extended lip or projection e to one side. thereof and connected with suitable mechanism for turning, in combination with the oscillating finger fimounted on a shaft and having the two ends thereof in contact with and resting upon the periphery of the disk eand lying upon opposite sides of a line joining the centers of said shafts,

to of the disk 6- and lying upon opposite sides of a line joining the centers of said shafts, said finger being mounted on a shaft and connected with means for imparting movement to the valve-operating mechanism, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature :5

in presence of two witnesses.

EBENEZER F. GRIFFITHS.

Witnesses:

THOS. D. MOWLDS, SAML. H. KIRKPATRICK. 

